Method of playing a game

ABSTRACT

The patent application discloses a method of playing a game using a code card and tiles to construct bible citations, verses, or passages in a defined manner. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application is related to, is a continuation in part of, and claims priority from co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/141,903 also by Onstad, et al., entitled Scripture Domino Game, filed 8 May 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to board games, and in particular to apparatus and methods of play therefore. Specifically, this invention pertains to a board game utilizing passages or quotes from the Bible as the basis for a word identification game.

Problem Statement

[0003] Interpretation Considerations

[0004] This section describes the technical field in more detail, and discusses problems encountered in the technical field. This section does not describe prior art as defined for purposes of anticipation or obviousness under 35 U.S.C. section 102 or 35 U.S.C. section 103. Thus, nothing stated in the Problem Statement is to be construed as prior art.

[0005] Discussion

[0006] Games have enjoyed wide popularity for many centuries. They combine intellectual challenge, socialization, and food for the competitive spirit. Some games, such as Chess, Checkers, and Backgammon, involve the movement of playing pieces by the players between playing positions, according to predefined rules that together define their methodology. In some games, such as SCRABBLE©, playing pieces may be distributed to the playing board by the players during the course of play; in others, such as chess, playing pieces may be removed from the playing board by the players during the course of play. Other games, such as dominos, are readily played on any horizontal surface, but are sometimes characterized as board games because of the character play, namely, the movement of playing pieces by the players between playing positions, according to predefined rules.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Various aspects of the invention, as well as an embodiment, are better understood by reference to the following detailed description. To better understand the invention, the detailed description should be read in conjunction with the drawings in which:

[0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a code card for use with one embodiment of the present invention;

[0009]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of word tiles for use with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

[0010]FIG. 3 is a block-diagram of a method of practicing the invention.

EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF A BEST MODE

[0011] In one embodiment, the invention utilizes a code card that is used to direct play. The code card identifies verses or portions of verses (passages) of the Bible 5 by either book title, and chapter and verse number, and/or a portion of a passage of a verse, called passage identifiers. Thus, the identified passages and passage identifiers are analogous to a “question” that the player in turn must answer, in that they form just enough identifying information for a player to complete the passage. In one embodiment, the amount of information provided by a passage identifier is based on a skill level, and accordingly, code cards may be sorted by skill level, or provide multiple skill level passage identifiers upon each card.

[0012] In combination, a predefined number of word tiles (which are in one embodiment similar to domino pieces) are drawn and held by the players, in turn or in a predefined manner, and are used to create an “answer”, the answer being the phrase of quote identified by the passage identifier (question) on the code card. In one embodiment, these word tiles are similar in size and shape to conventional dominos, and have an upper surface in which a maximum of three-letter word phrases are formed, each letter being formed of a series of indented “dots” filled with fluorescent-reflective paint. In this manner, a variation of the present game is more easily seen by the visually impaired, may be more exciting for teens, and can be played under “black-light” lighting conditions.

[0013] Interpretation Considerations

[0014] When reading this section (An Exemplary Embodiment of a Best Mode, which describes an exemplary embodiment of the best mode of the invention, hereinafter “exemplary embodiment”), one should keep in mind several points. First, the following exemplary embodiment is what the inventor believes to be the best mode for practicing the invention at the time this patent was filed. Thus, since one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize from the following exemplary embodiment that substantially equivalent structures or substantially equivalent acts may be used to achieve the same results in exactly the same way, or to achieve the same results in a not dissimilar way, the following exemplary embodiment should not be interpreted as limiting the invention to one embodiment.

[0015] Likewise, individual aspects (sometimes called species) of the invention are provided as examples, and, accordingly, one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize from a following exemplary structure (or a following exemplary act) that a substantially equivalent structure or substantially equivalent act may be used to either achieve the same results in substantially the same way, or to achieve the same results in a not dissimilar way.

[0016] Accordingly, the discussion of a species (or a specific item) invokes the genus (the class of items) to which that species belongs as well as related species in that genus. Likewise, the recitation of a genus invokes the species known in the art. Furthermore, it is recognized that as technology develops, a number of additional alternatives to achieve an aspect of the invention may arise. Such advances are hereby incorporated within their respective genus, and should be recognized as being functionally equivalent or structurally equivalent to the aspect shown or described.

[0017] Second, the only essential aspects of the invention are identified by the claims. Thus, aspects of the invention, including elements, acts, functions, and relationships (shown or described) should not be interpreted as being essential unless they are explicitly described and identified as being essential. Third, a function or an act should be interpreted as incorporating all modes of doing that function or act, unless otherwise explicitly stated (for example, one recognizes that “tacking” may be done by nailing, stapling, gluing, hot gunning, riveting, etc., and so a use of the word tacking invokes stapling, gluing, etc., and all other modes of that word and similar words, such as “attaching”).

[0018] Fourth, unless explicitly stated otherwise, conjunctive words (such as “or”, “and”, “including”, or “comprising” for example) should be interpreted in the inclusive, not the exclusive, sense. Fifth, the words “means” and “step” are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of the invention and do not mean “means” or “step” as defined in §112, paragraph 6 of 35 U.S.C., unless used as “means for -functioning-” or “step for -functioning-” in the Claims section. Sixth, the invention is also described in view of the Festo decisions, and, in that regard, the claims and the invention incorporate equivalents known, foreseeable, and unforeseeable. Seventh, the language and each word used in the invention should be given the ordinary interpretation of the language and the word, unless indicated otherwise.

[0019] Some methods of the invention may be practiced by placing the invention on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable mediums include passive data storage, such as a random access memory (RAM) as well as semi-permanent data storage such as a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM). In addition, the invention may be embodied in the RAM of a computer and effectively transform a standard computer into a new specific computing machine.

[0020] Data elements are organizations of data. One data element could be a simple electric signal placed on a data cable. One common and more sophisticated data element is called a packet. Other data elements could include packets with additional headers/footers/flags. Data signals comprise data, and are carried across transmission mediums and store and transport various data structures, and, thus, may be used to transport the invention. It should be noted in the following discussion that acts with like names are performed in like manners, unless otherwise stated. Of course, the foregoing discussions and definitions are provided for clarification purposes and are not limiting. Words and phrases are to be given their ordinary plain meaning unless indicated otherwise.

Description of the Drawings

[0021] Features and advantages of the invention are better understood by reference to the drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plurality of code cards for use with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 (FIG. 1), a code card 10 includes a passage identifier from the Bible 14 and may include its referenced cites 12 to book, chapter and/or verse in addition to other material information. In one embodiment, the code card 10 includes seven passages. It is anticipated that these seven passages, and the respective referenced citations, may include verses such as: 1. Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart. 2. Matthew 5:13. Ye are the salt of the earth. 3. Matthew 6:33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God. 4. Isaiah 41:10. Fear thou not; for I and with thee. 5. John 14:6 I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 6. Romans 10:13. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 7. 1 Corinthians 13:8. Love never faileth.

[0022] Accordingly, the code card 10 is used to direct each step of play. The code card 10 identifies passages of the Bible, preferably in the King James Version of the Bible, corresponding to solution pieces maintained on tiles, and is analogous to a “question” that the player in turn must answer. It is understood that a passage may comprise a citation, a verse, a phrase, and/or an event. In combination, word tiles 14, as shown in FIG. 2, similar to domino pieces, are drawn and held and played by the players, and the tiles are used to create an “answer”, the answer being the passage or verse or citation identified by the “question” on the code card.

[0023] A code cards may be defined by topic, such as Christmas, Easter, resurrection, Beatitudes, Psalms, Genesis, The Revelation, and the like. Alternatively, code cards may be defined by skill level, such as a beginner level that displays an entire verse which should be read by the game captain to all the players, to more advanced levels where the game captain only reads a citation, and the players must construct the passage or verse to the citation. Of course, many variations of practicing the invention exist, such as allowing persons to use their Bible to access scripture during the game, or providing a timing device, such as a ten-second hour-glass, during which time a person can access their Bible. Alternatively, the code cards may comprise information that allows a game captain to disclose varying amounts of information, such as first disclosing a citation, then a word, then a passage, then a verse, etc. These disclosures may be made at varying points during the game, such as when a “wild” word tile is played (the playing of which earns an extra clue from the game captain, or may substitute for any tile), or after a predetermined number of rounds, such as two rounds.

[0024] In the present embodiment, the word tiles are similar in size and shape to conventional dominos, and have an upper surface 16 in which solution pieces such as letters, combination of letters, words, phrases, blank tiles, irrelevant tiles, or citation portions (such as book, and/or chapter, and/or verse) 18 are formed of indicia 20 comprising a series of indented “dots” filled with fluorescent-reflective paint, and a blank lower surface. In one embodiment, dots on the word tiles are painted with florescent white paint so that users may turn off the lights and turn on black lights, which can make the game more exciting. Alternatively, Braille versions of the invention allow the blind able to also enjoy the invention.

[0025] Word tiles (tiles) may comprise solution pieces such as letters, multiple letters (such as “th” or “ch”, for example), words, phrases, numbers, or citations, or even blank tiles or irrelevant tiles, for example, depending on the “answer” begged by the “question” on the code card. The present invention additionally comprises several variations in the configuration of the playing board, the number of playing pieces, and the Rules of the Game.

[0026] Word tiles may also comprise organizational indicia. For example, a word tile may comprise dots on its sides, it top and bottom, or both its sides and its top and bottom. Then, to properly align a second tile to create the passage, verse, or citation, a player must only align word tiles having the desired letters, combination of letters, word, phrase, etc, with other tiles if both of the tiles have matching dots. Although single dots may be used, additional combinations of word tile construction may be achieved by providing alternative dots that require matching via color, or number.

Exemplary Method

[0027] a. One person is chosen via assignment, or random generation (such as a highest dice roll) to call out questions in the form of a citation, verse, or passage, provided on the code card 10;

[0028] b. All tiles 14, in FIG. 2 are placed face down on the table and shuffled into a pile of tiles;

[0029] c. No player is to see the tiles of another player;

[0030] d. Each player, in orderly or random turn, draws seven tiles either one-at-a-time or in their entirety;

[0031] e. Each player has a turn to try to put his tiles on the playing surface in an order that correctly makes the scripture (or passage) by placing a number of tiles, as many as may be correctly placed according to these rules, in a sentence-oriented manner;

[0032] f. If the player does not have a correct tile, his turn is passed and he picks another tile from the pile of tiles for his next turn;

[0033] g. Players keep taking turns until there have been two rounds; if no one get the scriptures formed from the tiles, then the players can refer to the Bible to identify the scripture;

[0034] h. In one embodiment, if the player can place his tiles in the right order, he calls out a preselected word, such as “Domino,” and is the winner of the round;

[0035] i. The caller checks the code card to verify the answer;

[0036] j. A round may be repeated for each passage on a code card (seven rounds are repeated for a seven-passage identifier code card), and optionally a new code card may be drawn for a new round; and

[0037] k. In one embodiment, the player that wins the most rounds is the winner of the game.

Alternative Exemplary Method

[0038]FIG. 3 is a block-diagram of a method 300 of practicing the invention. It should be understood that FIG. 3 is provided to assist in the playing of the game. Not all acts are shown in FIG. 3, nor should FIG. 3 be interpreted as limiting.

[0039] a. (310) A game captain is selected by consensus, appointment, or by random processes. The game captain is in charge of code cards and of rule enforcement;

[0040] b. (320) Dominoes are placed face down and shuffled;

[0041] c. Also in the shuffle and select act 320, each player chooses a predetermined number of tiles (preferably seven) and places them in such a way that other players cannot see the dominoes, preferably by placing the blank-side up;

[0042] d. The remaining dominoes will be placed on the table to create a pile of tiles, also part of the act 320. The pile of tiles is “drawn from” later as described below;

[0043] e. In a game captain act 330, the game captain selects a code card of the appropriate skill level, at random or according to a theme, and then announcing the appropriate clue regarding the correct information about a selected passage. The game captain may further choose to enhance the skill level of the code card by reading only a predetermined portion of the code card, such as a citation, a phrase, a passage, or a verse;

[0044] f. In a turn query 340, each player takes a turn to try to put a single tile down to make the passage identified by the code card (350). The tile must match in both the order of use in the passage(s) as well as via dot match, if any dot matching is chosen by consensus or the game captain (a tile that matches under the then-present rules of the game is called a matching tile);

[0045] g. As part of the turn query 340, if the player does not have a matching tile, then no tiles are placed during his turn 355 and the next player may place a tile as described above;

[0046] h. After his turn 340, whether or not a tile is played, the player picks an additional domino from the pile of dominoes;

[0047] i. In a next player query 360, players keep taking turns until there have been a predetermined number of rounds, such as two. If the passage/citation/question identified on the code card is not identified by the players, then the game captain may provide additional information, including the line of scripture and where the passage/citation/question.

[0048] j. Optionally, players may next use their bibles either as a group until the passage is found and read, or for a predetermined period of time (whereby if the passage/citation/question is not found in the present round, it may be found in the following round);

[0049] k. Ultimately, the passage/citation/question will be correctly “answered.” Accordingly, the player that places the line of scripture in the correct order on the table and calls out a predetermined word, such as “domino” 370;

[0050] l. The game captain then verifies 380 the correctness of the “call.” If the player who calls is correct, he is then identified as the winner of that round 384, but if the player who calls is incorrect, the game continues 388;

[0051] I. Optionally, the players may then count the number of tiles then in their possession 390;

[0052] m. if a predetermined number of rounds have been played in an end query 395, then the winner is the person who won the most rounds and he is declared the winner 397. However, if more than one person has won an equal number of rounds, the game captain may declare the player with the fewest points (leftover tiles) the winner, or declare a tie, as determined prior to the act b, above. If two or more persons won an equal number of rounds and have an equal number of tile, a tie may be declared or additional rounds can be played until a winner emerges (called “sudden life”);

[0053] n. If additional rounds are to be played, shuffle the tiles again and return to act c.

[0054] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.

[0055] Further, it should be understood that the order of the acts of the algorithms discussed herein may be accomplished in different order depending on the preferences of those skilled in the art, and such acts may be accomplished as software. Furthermore, though the invention has been described with respect to a specific preferred embodiment, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the present application. It is therefore the intention that the appended claims and their equivalents be interpreted as broadly as possible in view of the prior art to include all such variations and modifications. 

1. A method of playing a game, comprising the sequential acts of: forming a group of tiles, blank-side up, on a playing surface wherein each tile comprises a solution piece; selecting a plurality of tiles to define player tiles for a player; receiving a clue regarding information on a code card from a game captain, the information comprising a passage information; if the player, having a turn, possesses a player tile matching the clue regarding information, then selecting that tile for play by placing the tile on the playing surface; if the player does not have a player tile that matches the clue regarding information, then passing a turn to a second player; and wherein the game ends when a plurality of tiles selected for play completely and uniquely correspond to the information on the code card.
 2. A method of playing a game, comprising the acts of: selecting a game captain, the game captain for passing selected information maintained on a code card to a plurality of players; forming a group of tiles, blank-side up and each tile having a solution piece on an upper side, on a playing surface, the group of tiles collectively comprising on their upper surface all solution pieces necessary to completely and uniquely match the code card information; selecting a plurality of tiles to define player tiles for each of the plurality of players; receiving a clue regarding information on a code card from a game captain; identifying a player order amongst the plurality of players, a single player acting in order defining a player turn, and the sum of the single players acting in order defining a round; if a player, having a turn, possesses a player tile matching the clue regarding information, then the player selecting that tile for play by placing the tile on the playing surface; if the player does not have a player tile does that matches the clue regarding information, then passing a turn to a second player; and wherein the game ends when a plurality of tiles selected for play completely and uniquely correspond to the information on the code card.
 3. A method of playing a game, comprising the acts of: selecting a game captain, the game captain for passing selected information regarding a passage maintained on a code card to a plurality of players; forming a group of tiles, blank-side up and each tile having a solution piece on an upper side, on a playing surface, the group of tiles collectively comprising on their upper surface all solution pieces necessary to completely and uniquely match the code card information; selecting a plurality of tiles to define player tiles for each of the plurality of players; receiving a clue regarding information on a code card from a game captain; identifying a player order amongst the plurality of players, a single player acting in order defining a player turn, and the sum of the single players acting in order defining a round; if a player, having a turn, possesses a player tile matching the clue regarding information, then the player selecting that tile for play by placing a first tile on the playing surface and then passing a turn to a second player; if the player does not have a player tile does that matches the clue regarding information, then passing a turn to a second player; wherein a second tile is placed on the playing surface adjacent to the first tile such that the first tile and the second tile together comprise a sequential portion of the information on the code card; and wherein the game ends when a plurality of tiles selected for play completely and uniquely correspond to the information on the code card. 